Tyrant's Empire Beyond the Gate
by Alpine992
Summary: During the final battle before Akame stabs Tatsumi with Murasame, the Tyrant takes drastic measures to survive. Now awakening in a brand new Empire where Tatsumi doesn't even know the language, how will he survive in his Dragonic Form, will he ever turn human and make his way to the Empire he fought hard for, or will he take up the roll of protector against a new corrupt Empire.
1. Chapter 1

Crimson cross slitted eyes opened to a field of green. It hadn't been a dream then. Tatsumi was still a Dragon and he was no longer in the Empire. Pushing himself up onto all fours he looked very out of place in such a serene world. He didn't know how he had awoken here in this strange place, all he knew was it was due to the Tyrant's will to stay alive, that's it. Before Akame could finish him off he swore he heard the Tyrant roar it's refusal at his submitting to death and then suddenly he was somewhere else, this unknown place. He could no longer feel the Tyrant's influence over the armor and yet he so far couldn't return from this titanic dragon form to his regular human form. It had been concerning.

There was a lot to be distraught about but his training had made him deal with those emotions, they wouldn't help him in this unknown environment so he sought to deal with them later. Now he needed an objective, something to keep him occupied. Food would be his next biggest obstacle, just how much would it take to feed his new size? He doubted even Akame's usual size meals would cut it. He was bigger so obviously so was his stomach.

Stretching out on the grass much like a cat might do he let out a loud yawn that sent a rather timid shockwave over the area, he really needed to learn what he was capable of in this form. He didn't want to hurt anyone accidently, who was he kidding with his horrific appearance nobody would come near him and those that did would raise torches and pitchforks.

"So much for my good looks." Tatsumi growled deeply to himself. His injuries he had succumbed in his battle with Esdeath weren't present once he had awoken in this strange place, which was a relief if he needed to fight he wouldn't be held back by injury. In saying that, while he had only been here a short while he hadn't seen anyone or anything. It could be that this area was just deserted and his presence would more than likely have scared off any animals in the vicinity. Rearing back onto his hind legs standing as if he were a person he rose to his full height taking a long look around the area he found himself in. He was currently atop of a small landmass that resulted in a large mound. He couldn't see any kind of civilisation in any direction and let out a sigh, despite knowing that in his current state the possibility of being accepted was near impossible yet he still felt human under all this mass of Dragon and would still like to interact with people.

"There has to be something, a landmark? A road maybe?" He groaned. "Is this place even populated?" Spreading his wings he tested their strength with a strong flap of them causing a strong breeze to form before repeating the action and he started to lift off of the ground. Raising higher and higher into the sky, getting a clearer view of the surroundings his eyes scanned for anything that might resemble some kind of presence. There it was, without his improved Dragon senses he wouldn't have seen it and he still had to lean forward to confirm the theory, but it was indeed something. A road.

Adjusting his body he sent into a downward arch, wings held low against his body gaining speed as he approached the only sign of life he had seen since awakening. Spreading his wings he halted his descent above the road before lowering down to land beside it. He examined the road and with the tracking skill's he had honed since his village only excelled due to his training with Akame it was easy to distinguish that the road was frequently used, both by humanoids and wheeled carts. The signs lead both ways, one down a long road that didn't have an end in sight as far as he could see while the other direction headed towards a forest. Unsure of which way to take, he figured going through the forest might be a better option. Right now, he was still uncertain how this world's populace might react to him, hiding in the forest for the time being and simply observing anyone that might pass by could be the right choice to make here. Deciding it was a good start he turned in the direction of the forest, following alongside the road.

Upon reaching the forest he found a slight problem, he was quite large. While he could follow the road through the forest he wanted to observe the people before making contact. In a way it worked out, he didn't barge his way through the tree's instead carefully maneuvering around them as to not disturb them. Nobody would expect such a large creature to be hiding in a place that didn't have any obvious signs of it entering. While it was impossible not to leave a trail, it wasn't as obvious for someone of his size.

Finally a small clearing around a lake appeared and he threw hesitation to the wind and barged the last few trees out of the way, racing across the short distance to the water's edge and dived into the lake that spread out before him, a massive wave resulted in the aftermath of his jump and he was surprised to find the lake was quite deep.

Swimming down through the cold water into the deepest part he pressed his rear legs against the bottom of the lake and pushed off shooting for the surface. The light shimmered on the surface before he broke through as a torrent of water shot up and around as he landed on his back enjoying the cool sensation as he floated for a short while. Hearing something hit the ground he rolled his head back and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of a young girl with blue hair and blue eyes wearing a green dress, a book at her feet along with some kind of staff. She was sitting on a rock her eyes locked on him as fear began to cross her features.

"_Crap!"_ He knew he shouldn't have thrown caution to the wind but the prospect of taking a bath after everything he had been submitted too during his final moments in the Empire, it was beyond tempting. Tatsumi rolled over onto his stomach, trying his best to hide his form beneath the water's surface as best he could. While he could have just vanished, turning invisible, he didn't want to freak the girl out even more. She looked to be terrified, she didn't look older than maybe eleven or twelve.

What should he do if she ran? If she went and told people about him, he'd probably have to leave the area, stopping her might be for the best. He didn't want to antagonize the people here but he also had to survive. He wouldn't kill her of course but the less people knew about him the better, not until he was sure that they wouldn't come after him. Carefully he rose his arm up, out of the water the girl stepping back slightly, unsure of what she herself could do. What she wasn't expecting was a simple wave from the beast in the lake.


	2. Chapter 2

Lelei didn't know what to think of the strange creature in the lake that was waving at her. She was young but her brilliance far surpassed her age. She had never heard of such a creature before. It was large, bigger than the buildings in Coda Village and he could even be larger than some buildings she recalled in Rondel, however it's physic was foreign to her. It resembled a dragon from the bestiary books she had read that Master Cato had, but it wasn't a species she recognised and she hadn't been able to grasp it's full size since it was submerged in the lake. While quite alarming to look at, it didn't seem hostile, or atleast didn't appear to be. Still she was rooted to her spot, it had made no indication of coming any closer and she didn't know how it would react if she moved too hastily.

The beast rose it's head from the water revealing its mouth, rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth were bared and it looked as though it could easily devour anything in its path. However Lelei's eyes were drawn to the crimson crosses in its eyes, there was intelligence hidden amidst those eyes, it wasn't just some mindless beast. She simply stared at it for a time, it having stopped waving at her a short while ago. She had made no return of the gesture, unsure if it was using it's intelligence to trap her into a false sense of safety.

"Herro, wro rou yru." The beasts voice was loud and the water rumbled resulting in small waves repelling from it, Lelei stepped back in astonishment. It had tried to communicate with her, just in some foreign language. Just what was happening here? She had come to read a book in peace while Master Cato was working, she was tired of all the perverse jokes he had been making lately and had sought solitude for the morning and now had wound up in this situation.

"H-Hello." Lelei called back to the creature, unsure of why she responded. She should be running for her life, not trying to communicate with it. The Beast was horrifying and looked anything but friendly. But she was a curious soul by nature, her mind was a whirlwind of hypotheses of what this creature might be and therefore she was becoming more curious each passing moment.

It seemed slightly taken back, it was clear their language wasn't the same, or perhaps the creature wasn't at a level of intelligence where it completely understood the language. Lelei stiffened slightly, her mind telling her to flee as it slowly approached the shoreline. She swallowed nervously as it stopped several meters from her and rose halfway up out of the water, it was bigger than she expected it to be. She took a step back as she looked up at the truly frightening appearance of the unknown dragon species.

"Tatsumi." It spoke once more, this time in a word she could make out. Once more it repeated the word before pointing at it's chest. "Tatsumi."

"Your name is Tatsumi?" She asked, however if their language was different it might not understand. Raising a shaky hand she pointed at the beasts chest. "Tatsumi." She repeated the word before pulling her hand back and pointing at herself. "Lelei."

"Lelei." The dragon repeated, testing the word before repeating it once more. "Lelei." It almost seemed happy. It really was intelligent and just from their little interaction Lelei could see that it was willing to learn, it was better than being eaten at least.

* * *

Tatsumi was hiding his excitement. It was clear the girl was still frightened by him but she at least wasn't running to gather any villagers to raise some torches and pitchforks. Seriously why couldn't the Tyrant be a cute monster, not some horrific beast? It would have been so much easier on him if that were the case.

If he was assuming correctly, her name was Lelei. The language barrier was a pain, as they couldn't converse immediately but he was still infused with the Tyrant and if it's adaptive ability still applied than he'd be able to pick up the language in no time, especially if she was willing to teach him. This girl seemed smarter than what her age implied, she was now drawing strange symbols in the sand. Tatsumi watched on, unsure what she was up to. Once she was finished she pointed to it.

"Lelei."

_"Is she showing me how it's written?"_ Tatsumi thought as he examined the symbols, it was nothing like the letters from the Empire that he was use too. It was almost runic. She continued to write symbols in the ground before once more announcing what it was that she had written.

"Tatsumi." She spoke once more, showing how his name would be written in their language. He rose a hand up and she immediately backed a few steps away as she began to use a single claw to re-write the name in the sand, it was messy considering his large size and the unnatural way the letters sat, but it was readable to an extent.

He turned to face her and offered a smile before instantly regretting doing so. Her face paled considerable shades and he instantly retracted the smile, it was probably going to give the girl nightmares.

"Sorry." He said on reflex.

"Lelei! Whr rou yru Lelei." A voice called form the forest, a man's voice by the sound of it. The girl looked in the direction of the voice before looking at Tatsumi slightly panicked. He backed away into the water before activating Incursio's trump card. He saw the shocked expression come over the girl's face as he vanished before her eyes.

Tatsumi watched from his position in the lake as an elderly man dressed as one could only describe as a Wizard. He came and spoke with Lelei before leaving, Lelei hesitated as she turned to face where he sat in the lake before picking up her book that she had dropped upon first seeing him along with the strange staff before rushing off after the man.

"Alone again." Tatsumi muttered slightly to himself.

He decided to stick around the lake, it was unclear how Lelei would act around others, if she would tell people he was here or not. He couldn't make a clear judgement, she seemed curious about him, even if she was frightened a little. He figured if an angry mob came for him, he'd just fly away and find another place to settle in. If Lelei was willing to speak to him, others might as well.

* * *

A few days passed and Lelei hadn't been back to the lake. Luckily neither had an angry mob or a hunting party so Tatsumi felt that Lelei hadn't told anyone about him yet, which was good in one way but bad in another, hiding secrets from those close to you might only lead to trouble and he didn't want to cause problems for her. Tatsumi had also found a sustainable food source, the lake was filled with all kinds of fish that he had never seen before and all kinds of animals came to the lake to drink. He had been right in his assumption that it would take a lot to feed his larger form, however there was an abundant amount here but he didn't want to destroy the ecosystem. Akame would be jealous of all the new kinds of meat he was eating.

Unfortunately his large form wasn't capable of making a small cooking fire and he didn't want to gain attention via a large smoke signal. It had been tough at first to eat the animals raw but his new digestive system easily handled the raw meat and even his taste buds had changed so it didn't taste bad in fact it was actually delicious. It was hard to come to terms with it all, but right now, as he was he was a Danger Beast one of the most feared in the Empire's history. He was in all aspects apart from his mind, the Tyrant.

Before his forced evolution of Incursio facing off against Esdeath and Budo in the Colosseum that was to house his execution, he never would have imagined that the soul of the Tyrant would have such sway over Incursio. A thousand years and the Tyrant still refused to die, just how much willpower did that creature have? He had to wonder how the Tyrant had gotten them to this strange land but it's not like he could just ask and if he did, he doubted he'd get a straight answer. Still the absence of the Tyrant itself was quite alarming, even after a few days there was still no sign of it's presence amidst the armor.

Currently Tatsumi was lying in the grass beside the large lake, he didn't know what else to do. Sure he could go exploring but he was simply waiting for Lelei, to see if she would come back at all. She was curious and at least willing to speak with him, even going so far as to perhaps teach him her language, he couldn't see a better opportunity. The more he learned the language of this place, the better his chances of finding a way home. He knew he would need the Tyrant's help in finding his way home, but having an understanding of the language would be beneficial. Seeing as Lelei might be able to teach him the language, than it would probably be best if he hung around to see if she came back. Right now she was his best hope of making it home, to Mine to everyone back in the Empire.

* * *

A few more days passed accumulating up to a week since he had awoken in this strange land and unfortunately it was getting to the point Tatsumi was about to give up on Lelei and find someone else that might be willing to help. Over the week he had spent by the lake he had found, he had tried connecting to the Tyrant's soul deep in the armour, so far he hadn't had any luck but had found that its presence was still there, just locked away. Perhaps whatever it had done to save itself from dying at the hands of Murasame blade had drove it into a state of hibernation. Honestly he was just pulling at straws here, he had nothing to go off of, all he knew was that the soul was still in the armor.

Once he found out that the soul of the Tyrant was still present, he did everything he could to transform back to a human, but no luck on that front either. But there was some hope. During his last test of returning to human, he felt Incursio's power shift but it wasn't enough to alter his form any and it had been incredibly draining to the point of complete exhaustion. Perhaps because of the Tyrant not currently being 'awake', the armors abilities were locked, he had tried to summon Neuntote also but hadn't been successful either. The only thing he could access was the innate ability to turn invisible. He just hoped the adaptive ability was still usable to him.

His enhanced hearing picked up the movement of feet heading towards him, sniffing at the air, he activated invisibility. Someone was approaching, he hadn't caught fully onto Lelei's scent when he had first seen her, it not being on his mind at the time he had first seen her, this scent approaching was however somewhat familiar. So it was a high probably that it was her, but he didn't want to risk it. The moment Lelei came along the path Tatsumi let out a breath of relief, he didn't want to think what might of happened had it been someone else. He watched her for a few moments, she looked around the area no doubt searching for him as it would seem. A frown came to her face as she didn't see him anywhere. Releasing his invisibility she jumped away, startled that he was only a few feet from her.

Tatsumi let out a small chuckle as he folded his arms on the ground and leaned his chin down on them as he watched her, curious to know why she had come to see him. She went to reach for her pouch, but hesitated slightly as she turned her gaze back to him, he nodded for her to continue and she did. She pulled forth a book and knelt on the ground before him.

"Tching" She simply told him as her lessons in language began.

* * *

Mine frowned slightly as she followed Akame through the the revolutionary camp where she had been in her comatose state. Since the battles were over most of the camp was deserted with a few stragglers celebrating here instead of the Capital itself. Mine had been awake for a little while now and had heard of everything that she had missed out on. But what she was most worried about was Tatsumi's sudden disappearance. Akame hadn't gone into the details of the final battle with Esdeath, in fact nobody had and Akame was the only one to witness the battle in the end. But she had heard from some of the soldiers of Tatsumi's transformation.

All anyone really cared about was the fact that the Revolution had succeeded and the war was finally over. Mine found it uncomfortable how Akame hadn't spoken of Tatsumi, she hadn't told her that he had died in his battle, simply that he was gone. There was something off about all of this, and just where was Akame taking her now?

The doctor said that she still needed rest. Unfortunately during her comatose state she had lost the child she had been unknowingly carrying. But Akame had asked her to come with her, saying that it was urgent and involved Tatsumi. So she followed Akame out of camp, into the surrounding forest. Akame led the way through a path that wasn't recognisable but to an experienced tracker. Soon they breached into a clearing and immediately Mine was engulfed in a hug.

"Leone!?" Mine was astonished, the reports she had heard from Najenda said that Leone had died of her wounds from her final battle with the Emperor, but here she was. Unknowingly to Mine, Leone had been patched up by the same doctor that had cared for her, she had been lucky to survive her injuries but currently she had a purpose that pushed her to survive.

"Good to see you awake." Leone smiled at her. "We were all starting to get worried for a while." The blonde pulled her into another hug, Mine returning the gesture still stunned to find that Leone was still alive, did Najenda know? "Sorry, for what happened." Leone whispered quietly, referring to the child she lost. Nodding softly Mine pulled back.

"What's going on? Why all the secrecy? Where's Tatsumi?"

"Gone." The new voice spoke up making Mine pale as Leone and Akame stepped to the side to show Esdeath sitting on a log several feet away. Mine shot questioning looks to Leone and Akame, however it would seem they were fully aware of Esdeath's presence and bringing her here.

"What the hell is going on!?" She growled, with Pumpkin destroyed she was feeling vulnerable enough already but now that she was standing across from Esdeath without a weapon she was feeling a danger she didn't want let alone defend against. Esdeath rose from the log she was sitting on and approached, Mine tensing as Esdeath withdrew a book and handed it to Akame who then proceeded to offer it to Mine.

"Since you're the only one who doesn't have a Teigu, you're the only one who can use this efficiently." Akame told her. "It's the teigu, The Complete Book Of The World: Rongo Rongo." Mine looked at the book before taking it and flicking it open, she had heard rumours of the book and what it could do, but she didn't know what she needed it for.

"Right now, that's the only lead we have to finding Tatsumi." Leone told mine surprising the pink haired assassin. This still didn't explain why Esdeath was here, alive and nod currently dead like everyone thought. Was the entire victory of the Revolution built upon a lie Akame and Esdeath created, all for the sake of finding Tatsumi?

"In my years in the Empire's service, I was privy to records that just weren't accessible to the rabble that made up the Empire." Esdeath began. "Such as the Tyrant's true origins, the very same that makes up Incursio's armor." She continued. "Until recently it wasn't of much interest I simply studied up on what was once the strongest Danger Beast to exist, but upon hearing Akame's explanation of Tatsumi's sudden disappearance, I recalled those reports I heard."

"The Tyrant appeared long before the Empire existed." Akame began to recite what Esdeath had informed her over the past few days. "Before coming to the Empire it was originally from a country called Wakoku. But it didn't originate from there." Mine was still confused, where did it come from then?

"Records state of a Gate appearing in the country of Wakoku, the Tyrant came through this Gate, while not many records explain this Gate, all records lead to the fact that it's not a natural commodity and there are letters written stating that it led to another world." Esdeath informed. "The conclusion is, to save itself, the Tyrant forced its way back to where it came from, taking Tatsumi with it."

"So we head to Wakoku, find this Gate and go through it to find Tatsumi?" Mine asked.

"It's not that simple." Leone frowned.

"The Gate doesn't exist anymore." Esdeath told her. "It has only ever appeared a handful of times through history and only ever in Wakoku, across the sea."

"We were hoping you could use that book to discover if the Gate will appear again." Akame concluded.

"It's the only way we'll have any hope of finding Tatsumi." Esdeath told her, cold blue eyes staring down at her. "If there is a chance of finding him, it will be in that book and I won't stop until I've found him." She declared, Mine matching her stare with a glare of her own.

"We're all working together now, so no hostility." Leone butted in between them. "We're all searching for Tatsumi, so just let everything go." It would never be that simple between Esdeath and those of Night Raid but the tension needed to be settled.

"Does Najenda know about this?" Mine asked, turning to Akame. The red eyed assassin shook her head.

"She has enough on her plate to deal with getting the Empire back on track." Akame told her. "If she found out Esdeath was alive she'd do nothing but organise to kill her and right now, we need her." Akame told her. "We all want to get Tatsumi back." Mine rubbed at her forehead as she paced back and forth for a few moments, trying to come to terms with everything.

"I guess we're heading to Wakoku then, if that's the place it has only appeared than we won't find it here in the Empire. With any luck we'll find something out about it from the book of Rongo Rongo." Mine concluded, she didn't like the fact that they were teaming up with Esdeath of all people but she didn't suspect Akame and Leone liked it either. But they had the same goal, and that was to find Tatsumi.

"Right, which way to Wakoku?" Leone asked.

"Across the Eastern Sea." Esdeath stated. "We'll need a seaworthy ship and someone with experience sailing." She concluded. "Luckily I have just the person in mind."

"You think he'll do it?" Akame asked, realising who she was talking about.

"Considering he deserted the Jaegers, he owes me one." Esdeath shrugged. "If he doesn't, I'll kill him and call it even." Akame's eyes hardened slightly. "Don't worry, I've nothing against Kurome, Wave however led to her desertion and should take full responsibility for it." Esdeath shrugged.

"To Wakoku!" Leone declared.


	3. Chapter 3

"There was strong magic here." Lelei spoke observing the large hill. "Alnus Hill is said to be Holy Ground, this is where you woke?" The young magic student asked, peering over to the frightening form of Tatsumi.

"It is." Tatsumi spoke in Lelei's native tongue, only a few days of teaching and the Tyrant's adaptive ability had made him easily understand and apply the words. It was almost cheating. The young Wizard thought that he was just an incredibly intelligent species of Dragon.

Once the two were able to communicate, Lelei couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked where he had come from which led them coming to Alnus Hill on this small excursion. Tatsumi had some hope that the girl might be able to find him a way back to the Empire, but he knew it was a long shot and with a look in her direction and the puzzled look on her face, she didn't have the slightest clue.

"Guess I'll be sticking around for a while." With that Tatsumi crashed into the ground, spread out enjoying the breeze that washed over the hill.

"You're odd for a Dragon." Lelei pointed out as she approached.

"You know many Dragon's?" Tatsumi asked, rolling over and propping his head up on his hand.

"No, but no books have ever told me this kind of behaviour of a Dragon." Tatsumi chuckled lightly as he rose a finger and placed it on her head and begun to swirl it slightly.

"Books won't tell you anything." He told her, Lelei stumbling slightly the swirling motion beginning to make her feel dizzy. "Plus, I wasn't born a Dragon. I was human. This is still all relatively new for me too." This surprised Lelei immensely as she looked into the large eyes of the Dragon, a hidden sadness could be caught if you looked carefully enough.

"How did you get like this, if you were human?" Lelei asked cautiously, knowing that it might be a sensitive subject. Tatsumi watched her for a short time, the wind drifting between them. He would have smiled would it not have frightened the girl. Instead he told her.

"It started out, when I wanted to join the Empire." Lelei listened, Tatsumi going into the details of his training up until he left his small village, to where he and his friends set off from their home to join the Empire. Lelei coming to understand that the Empire Tatsumi spoke of and the one she knew, were not one in the same. The one Tatsumi had come from seemed evil, and much darker than the stories she had been told of under Emperor Augustus reign. It almost seem that those in power in Tatsumi's Empire relished in the corruption.

She was horrified to learn of the fate of his companions over his time as an assassin, how much he had lost fighting in a revolution he would never be recognised for. Only to learn that the weapon he wielded slowly consumed him over time, the Tyrant's will overlapping his and trying to take over dominance. Only for him to transform into the Dragon that he was today. He himself didn't know how he had woken up here on Alnus Hill, only that after he had been transformed into the Tyrant incarnate, and losing the life at the blade of a comrade did he find himself here, in full control of the Dragon's body.

"I've never heard of a magic that can transform it's user into a Dragon before, even through the means of which you said the weapon was created." Lelei told him as she sat rested up against her side, Tatsumi chuckled lightly causing the girl to look up at him in confusion.

"It wasn't magic." He told her. "The Teigu were created with science." It was clear that she didn't understand the term, or at the very least didn't understand how science worked. She may be a magical genius as he heard her Master Cato speak about, but she didn't seem to have a lot of worldly knowledge. "Where I came from, magic didn't exist."

"Impossible." Lelei responded instantly. "Even if it was an entirely different world, magic would exist." Tatsumi simply shrugged his shoulders, but he couldn't help but think on what she had said. Perhaps the Emperor of old that had created the Teigu had somehow manipulated magic into science to create them? Either way, it didn't matter how Incursio was made.

"Whatever you say little genius." Lelei puffed up her cheeks before Tatsumi rose up. "Are we heading to this town you spoke of?"

"Itallica." Lelei nodded as she rose up, picking her flying broom up in response. Their destination wasn't Alnus Hill alone, Lelei had recently learnt to fly on a broom and had been tasked by her Master to collect several ingredients from the trade city of Italica. Lelei stepped over her broom as Tatsumi spread his wings, Tatsumi knew the danger of approaching the city but other than the small village near Cato's hut, he hadn't ventured further than the forest. No one had discovered his presence as of yet.

Both took to the skies, Lelei's flying magic was still in early development and Tatsumi kept close keeping a close eye on her. It was odd, he had never truly been protective of anyone, or anything before. He always fought for what he believed in but he had never had someone look up to him the way Lelei did. He had to wonder if this was how Bulat felt when Tatsumi first joined Night Raid.

"You should cloak yourself." Lelei called over to him, bringing Tatsumi from his thoughts as he looked at her. "Itallica will be in view shortly and if they see a Dragon flying towards them, they'll sound the alarm." Tatsumi activated the Tyrant's invisibility and disappeared from sight, barely a shimmer to where he was last. Lelei looked back, the city now looming far on the horizon, she still wasn't sure on why Tatsumi wished to come to the city but couldn't very well stop him.

"Once you're done, I'll meet you outside the city gate." Tatsumi's voice came back from her and she nodded as she flew forward before arching downward to the city gates where Tatsumi could see several others with wagon's wanting to get into the city, Tatsumi noted that the guards on the walls were mainly prominent around the entrances as he surveyed from the sky. Lowering himself he landed on a portion of the wall where no guards were present, the only singal to show that he had landed was the shifting of dust on the walls.

_"It'd be difficult to maneuver through the street in my current size."_ He mused, which was unfortunate because he wanted to learn more about this Empire. He really needed to learn how to get back to being human, or at the very least resemble that of what Incursio looked like, he could get away with walking around in armor as long as it wasn't too animalistic, the more human the better.

Lelei was young and while smart, didn't have the information he wanted. He hated to think he had left one corrupt Empire for another. If it was, he wouldn't just sit idly by and do nothing. He might not be with Night Raid anymore, but his values were the same and if he had to take up arms against a Corrupt Empire, he would happily do so. Hearing voices from down below he looked over the side of the wall to see people walking by, nothing of what they said was of much interest so he didn't pay attention for too long. Instead he rose his head and set his sights on the large opposing building in the centre of Italica, no doubt it was where Count Colt resided. Lelei didn't have much information on him, just his name. Tatsumi hoped that this world's nobles were nothing like the ones he had left behind.

Spreading his wings he lifted from the wall, unfortunately not as quietly as he would have liked causing a stir below who were shocked at the sudden pick up of wind from the invisible Dragon's wings. He watched those below go about and as Lelei had said it was a bustling town full of trading of all kinds. His flight across the city was slow, he was taking in the people, they seemed content with their daily lives and he had spotted anything amiss as of yet.

Landing gently in the courtyard, he curled his wings up behind his back before raising his head to the sky. Sniffing, catching the scents of spices and fresh meat from the markets, however there wasn't a single ounce of human blood in the air, at least not that wouldn't be normal for a city. It was already different to what he knew, there was no hidden blood curdling screams of toturted innocents that the nobles of the Empire were use too, no decayed stench of rotting bodies that had yet to be disposed off.

He was searching for something that wasn't there.

Maneuvering around the estate, he was careful not to brush up the side of the building or allow his presence to be known. However what Tatsumi wasn't expecting was for a man to exit the building, stationed at his sides were two female attendants, dressed as maids. What had him bewildered was their animalistic traits, something he had truly not been expecting.

The man appeared to be in his late years. He had long gray hair that went past his shoulders and he wore clothes of a noble. From this, Tatsumi deducted that the man was Count Formal. When the first maid pointed to him, Tatsumi knew what had happened as the Count himself looked directly in Tatsumi's direction. Their animal senses had picked him up.

Her unique physic resembled that of a cat, almost similar to Leone's transformed state when using Lionel. Two cat ears, slitted eyes similar to that of a cat's, and a tail matching the same color as her hair. Her hair was purple with violet tips worn in a ponytail. She had a small pair of glasses over her aquamarine eyes and was dressed as a maid.

The other girl, while resembling being a human with a closer look one could tell that wasn't all. The thing that made her different was her red hair which was made up of snakes. She had a short stature and was dressed as a maid.

"I know you're there." The count called out to Tatsumi, making Tatsumi question whether he should flee or reveal himself. Deciding to reveal himself, knowing he couldn't just stay hidden from the world for the rest of his days, he dropped the invisibility and almost winced at the horrified looks come to the faces of the two maids as the count himself remained calm in the face of the reborn Tyrant. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. He sometimes forgot just how horrifying he looked these days, Lelei had been accustomed to it so he hadn't thought much on it.

"I am Count Formal." The man introduced himself. "Can you speak?" He asked approaching a few steps closer as he spoke.

"I can." Tatsumi replied eyeing the man, unsure of his intentions.

"May I ask your intentions here, in Italica?" Count Formal asked as Tatsumi stared down at him. This was really not the way he had been expecting this to play out, he half expected to be run off by the city guards.

"Just visiting." Tatsumi stated and he could almost see the man's lip twitch into that of a smile but he was professional and remain composed. "An acquaintance of mine is at your market."

"I see." The Count mused. "Please, would you allow for me to call your acquaintance here? There is much that I'd like to discuss, with both you and them." Tatsumi grew slightly concerned at that, unsure of why they would want to see Lelei, obviously they wanted answers but surely it was odd not to do anything when a terrifying Dragon had easily infiltrated the city.

"If you bring no harm to her." Tatsumi answered making the man smile and nod his head.

"You have my word, no harm shall be brought to you or your acquaintance." While it could be said one couldn't trust the word of a Noble Tatsumi had really no hesitation to completely turn this estate into nothing but rubble did the Count break his word. He had been tricked by the sweet words of a Noble with Aria, he wouldn't let that happen ever again.

Tatsumi disclosed Lelei's information to the Count who gave the order to his maids to go and collect the young Wizard from the marketplace. The Count remained behind and Tatsumi talked with him, learning more about him and how he didn't seem like the nobles that Tatsumi had grown to know in the Empire. The man cared about the wellbeing of Italica, and offered a hand to any in need. When Lelei arrived with the count's maids it was clear the young girl was confused as the maids held her shopping that she had done.

"Tatsumi?" She questioned.

"Ah, this must be the young Wizard you've told me about Tatsumi." The elderly man said as he turned and greeted the young girl. "I've just been getting to know your friend here." He said smiling up at the large form of Tatsumi.

"Count Formal." Lelei bowed her head while offering a small curtsy. "I am Lelei La Lalena, I hail from the Nomad Tribe, Rurudo, I am currently studying under the Sage, Cato El Altestan."

"From Coda Village, correct?" The Count asked.

"Yes." Lelei nodded.

"It is nice to meet a student of the Great Sage." The Count continued. "It was a surprise to me to find that a Dragon had entered Italica but speaking with Tatsumi I see that there is no need for concern. Quite the remarkable creature." He said looking up at Tatsumi.

"I only came to see what the Nobles here were like." Tatsumi told him causing the man to frown as Tatsumi continued. "Where I come from, it's a world riddled by corruption. I hated to think I had come to a place much similar to where I am from."

"Tatsumi was transported here, to Alnus hill by unknown means." Lelei spoke up, seeing the confusion on the Count's face along with the maids that had escorted her here. At her words the Count's face grew grim.

"Perhaps what the Emperor is trying to do wasn't just rumours?" He whispered softly to himself causing Tatsumi's eyes to harden. Sensing the tension the Count decided to relay the information, he didn't think it'd go well if he hid information from the intelligent Dragon. "Just in passing rumours, we've heard that Emperor Augustus is starting to gather the forces of the Empire along with the allying nations. While it will take considerable time, and that along with Prince Zorzal wanting to crusade in the North East." He sighed, having heard the reports of the Prince's voice in the Senate to allow for the Empire's forces to quell those in the North mainly the barbaric tribes of the Warrior Bunnies, so far the Prince hadn't gopt his way but no doubt he would and no doubt there would be slaves and refugees coming soon after. Prince Zorzal wasn't know for his kindness, he had to wonder if the Prince was someone like Tatsumi had been expecting to find when he came to Italica.

"Also, the Emperor has been reaching out for information on the history of Alnus Hill, stating that a Gate will appear with endless resources for the Empire. Someone has been giving him this information and he's dead set on see it becoming a reality." Tatsumi remained silent as he listened to the Count's words. "No doubt, my own forces will be conscripted and be forced to serve the Emperor's will."

"This Gate, when will it appear?" Lelei asked curiously. "If it truly is a Gate, possibly it's a way for Tatsumi to return home?" Both the Count and Lelei looked up at Tatsumi, the large Dragon's face hard to read. Tatsumi simply closed his eyes, Mine was still back there along with Akame, Leone and Najenda but what would they think of him now, that he was this. For all he knew, Mine could still be in her coma like he had last scene her. Maybe it was better if they thought he was just gone. Coming back and looking like this, he didn't know if he'd be accepted back.

"There has been no definite news, nor have the rumors been proved to be true." The count interjected once more. "I just thought perhaps, with Tatsumi appearing at Alnus hill there might be some truth to it." Lelei frowned slightly as she looked up at Tatsumi, unsure as to what he was thinking.

"Doesn't matter now does it, if the Gate appears I'll take a nosy look around and see where it leads." The large Dragon stated. "It might not even lead to where I come from."

"True." Lelei nodded, there was silence for a short while as the young girl looked up at the Dragon. "We should return home, Tatsumi." The dragon looked down at her and gave a nod of agreement. He hadn't been expecting to talk to the count, let alone learn of what the current Emperor's plans were, even if they were just rumours.

"Tatsumi." The count began causing the former assassin to turn to face him. "You are an intelligent creature, far exceeding my expectations of today." He began. "Should you ever wish it, feel free to visit Italica I'll be sure no harm comes to you." Tatsumi offered a small smile, which only made his teeth that much more ferocious.

"I appreciate it, and one day I might take you up on the offer." Tatsumi began. "But right now, the less people know about me the better. I don't want to be hunted down."

"Very well, I'll respect your decision." Count Formal bowed. Tatsumi shimmered from sight before completing disappearing from sight as his invisibility activated. The gust of wind showed that he had flown into the air. Lelei received her goods she had purchased from the maids and lifted off the ground with her broom before flying off, only the slightest shimmer could be seen from Tatsumi that followed after her.

"Truly a remarkable creature." Count Formal smiled. "It almost resembles the creature from old Folk Tales."

* * *

Once far enough away from Italica, Tatsumi dropped his invisibility and flew next to Lelei as they headed for the forest surrounding Coda Village. Lelei watched him as she flew, her mind troubled due to the Dragon's state. He said he was once human before becoming the creature he was now, there must be a way to reverse it, right? Then there was his hesitancy in returning to where he was from, was that due to his current form?

The silence remained between them as they touched down in the familiar clearing that Tatsumi now called his home. Lelei stood for a moment as Tatsumi found his usual spot and layed down, closing his eyes. Deciding to let the matter rest, she turned and headed for the direction of Coda Village, not wishing to disturb the Dragon anymore than necessary.

_"At least Italica isn't corrupt."_ Tatsumi thought to himself as he heard Lelei leave. _"Well, not that I could see anyway, a deeper investigation might be needed."_ He mused. _"However the Emperor might be another story, traveling to other worlds for resources? If he goes to the Empire and they're still recovering from the Revolution it might be bad. It didn't sound like it would be a peaceful act if the Emperor is gathering his military."_ A scowl came to Tatsumi's features as his eyes opened.

"This damn body isn't good for infiltration." He grumbled as he rose to his feet and braced himself. "Time to wake up damn Tyrant, I need a better form!"


End file.
